


Happy Buildday

by 4Kennedy



Category: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Genre: Birthday, Complete, F/F, Family, Humor, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-18 20:56:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1442575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4Kennedy/pseuds/4Kennedy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is Cameron's second year since she was first built. Sarah and John decide to celebrate it the traditional way in the Connor family. Together, they pull practical jokes on Cameron for the day until the final celebration that evening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Co-Author: Red Hope

Prologue

"Come on, Mom," John argued, "Be a sport about this one."

Sarah sighed and leaned her side against the worn wood table in the small shed. She had her arms crossed and an unmoving expression.

"It's tradition," John further fought.

"For a Connor," Sarah reminded in a hard tone.

John threw his hands into the air then walked away. He spun around and revealed his frustrated features. "She's a Connor by now."

Sarah looked away from her son and set her jaw. She stared out the small window at their house.  
John came closer to his mother then tempted, "She'll be so easy too." He grinned devilishly, and his green eyes brightened. "You know you want to do this anyway." He waited a beat then gently pushed his mom's arm. "Come on."

Sarah started bobbing her head a few times then her eyes flickered to John. "You know what this means if we do this, right?"

"Yes," John replied, "But she's earned it." He was serious now. "She's become a part of the family." He knew his mother had finally developed a soft spot after their heavy conversation a week ago. He wondered though if his mother would ever confront her or not about it. He suspected not, but he had hopes. "You know she's a Connor... and I can tell you've already got ideas."

Sarah could not hide her evil smile, which slowly started spreading across her lips. She loosened up and murmured, "Alright."

"Sweet." John was excited and suddenly turned to the worn table that had a notebook on it. "Let's do this." He flipped open to a clean page, grabbed the pen nearby, and drew a line down the middle of the page. He then wrote his name on one side and his mom's on the other side. "What you got?"

Sarah stood beside her son, studied the empty paper, and she became thoughtful. Her jade eyes lifted to her son, and she revealed her first idea, which made John laugh. She quickly relaxed as she and John made plans for tomorrow. Earlier she had resisted the idea but by the time their plans were ironed out, she was secretly excited for tomorrow. She just hoped it was all taken well by their victim.

Chapter 1

It was not easy to make all the preparations without being caught, especially in such a short amount of time. Cameron was always there, making her rounds through the house and constantly tracking Sarah and John.

"Mom, you need to get her out of the house tonight," John said as soon as he saw Cameron disappearing into the garage through the kitchen window. They would not have long until the girl would return.

Sarah raised her eyebrows questioningly. They had been playing cat and mouse with the terminator since they had put together quite a long list with of ideas for the following day and had started to make the provisions. "And how am I supposed to do that?" she wondered without looking at her son and keeping her eyes on the garage instead.

"I don't know," he admitted and gave it a moment of thought. "Just take her on surveillance at any warehouse or any house, saying that it might be an important lead."

"Not going to happen. No," Sarah said and shook her head. "I'm not spending a whole night in the damn car with Cameron for nothing, especially when I could sleep in my comfortable bed." She considered it another second and added, "I don't want you to be alone in the house."

"Derek can babysit me," John countered, not daring to suggest that Riley could keep him company too. He hoped that his uncle would agree to stay the night for once. It had been days since they had last seen him, and they generally had no clue what he was doing the whole time anyway. He shook off the thought of Derek, focusing again on the conversation. "And it wouldn't be for nothing. Well, maybe not for the usual cause why you observe warehouses and stuff, but it's still important."

Sarah crossed her arms defensively in front of her. She did not buy it that her son wanted her to spend a complete night with the terminator in the car just to make some more preparations for Cameron's special day. It surely would not take that long. "No, I'm not going to do that. We have to find another way. You're smart, figure something out."

"Me and Riley already distracted her so that you could get the storage container ready," John reminded his mother. "It's your turn now. Besides, you and Cameron alone in a car… it might give you the chance to work out some stuff, to talk and..."

Sarah pointed a warning finger at him. "Stop it! You do not get to play matchmaker, okay?" She had been right that his intentions were not that innocent.

"Okay! I'm only trying to help, that's all." He sighed and rubbed his forehead in concentration. With a snap of his fingers, he argued, "It doesn't have to be the whole night. We'll send her for a donut run in the morning. That should give us enough time."

Uncrossing her arms, Sarah propped her hands on the kitchen sink and looked briefly over at her son. "I'm going to make pancakes, remember? That's also part of the plan."

"Yeah, yeah." John softly grumbled and shrugged. "You can tell her whatever you want as long as she isn't around here for a little while tomorrow morning. Otherwise I see no other option as to cross that option off of the list." He slumped his shoulders and hung his head, acting perfectly like an offended teenager. "I kinda liked the idea, didn't you? It would've been a good way to start the day."  
From the kitchen window, they watched Cameron as she left the garage and headed for the house.

Her son fought with unfair resources, Sarah knew it, but she fell for it anyways and gave in. "Fine." She huffed in a defeated manner but punched John's shoulder playfully. "I'll take care of it." She shot him a wicked grin then winked after making up her mind.

When Sarah woke up the next morning, she found herself lying on the back seat of the Jeep covered with a woolen sheet, which she identified as the picnic blanket from the trunk. "Great," she mumbled sleepily, already annoyed because she would have blades of grass all over her. She raised her head a little to take in more of her surroundings.

"Good morning, Sarah." Cameron's voice drifted to her from the front seat, and she looked curtly over her shoulder to greet Sarah with a sharp nod.

"Morning," Sarah replied. She propped herself up in a sitting position and squinting her eyes against the early brightness of the day. "How did I end up back here?"

"I carried you," the terminator explained uninflected. She watched through the rear mirror how the other woman rubbed her hands over her face to waken herself up completely and then tried smoothing her hair a little. Cameron actually liked it when Sarah's hair was messy with wild locks. She found it suited Sarah. "You were sleeping very restless. I decided to lay you down on the back seat as it might help you to sleep better."

It was true. Sarah had actually slept surprisingly well. It came slowly back to her why Cameron had taken the liberty to move her to the back of the Jeep. Four hours Sarah had shifted in her seat, trying to find a relatively comfortable position, but without any luck.

Several times, she had drifted into a light slumber only to be startled awake after only a couple of minutes because her body slid to one direction or a car passing by. Once she even opened her eyes to find herself leaning against Cameron's side with her head resting on the girl's shoulder and her arm thrown carelessly over Cameron's lap.

Sarah had cleared her throat and muttered a 'sorry', before she moved so that she was leaning against the door instead. Her embarrassment burnt hot in her cheeks and that she could feel Cameron's eyes on her did not help at all.

"Thanks, that's… quite considerate of you," Sarah admitted. It concerned her that she had not even noticed that Cameron had picked her up, laid her on the back seat, got the picnic blanket out of the back, and covered her with it. "Did I miss anything?" She wanted to know with a nod towards the house, which she had picked at random for them to observe.

"No, nothing of importance. The house is still uninhabited. I asked the paperboy seventeen minutes ago, and he said that the family who lives there is on vacation for the next two weeks." Cameron face was expressionless and her voice the usual monotone, but Sarah had the impression that the terminator accused her for observing an empty house.

"Okay, let's go home. I'm starving plus I need a shower," she decided aloud and got out of the car.  
"We could stop on our way for donuts," Cameron offered as the other woman opened to door and slid into the passenger seat.

"No!" Sarah said a little too quickly. "John is waiting for us, and I promised him to make pancakes. He loves them." She received a skeptical look from Cameron for the remark, but the terminator did not comment on it, started the engine and pulled into the street.

Shortly after, Sarah slowed the Jeep then parked it in the driveway to their house. She was inwardly relieved to get home after a short yet silent, tense drive home. She ripped the key from the ignition, flung open the door, and loudly mentioned, "Good job on surveillance work, girlie." She rolled her eyes at the stupidity behind it, but it really did not matter. "Can you get the weapons bag for me?"

"Yes." Cameron shut her door then marched to the back of the Jeep. She popped open the hatch, lifted it, and studied Sarah's receding figure up the brick steps. She grabbed the black bag, hauled it out, and slammed the hatch down. She then followed the human's cold trail but curiously wondered what was going on with Sarah since last night when they went on surveillance. She brushed it off as old age, as John taught her.

Sarah went upstairs and found her son's door cracked open. She knew it was a silent signal so she took the invite and peered into his room just as Cameron came upstairs. "Hey," she warmly greeted.  
John was sitting cross-legged on his bed, fully dressed, and his laptop in front of him. He looked up from his lit screen and smiled at his mom. "How'd it go?"

Sarah rolled her eyes in silent response. She sensed Cameron right behind her now so she half turned and asked, "Did we have any luck?"

Cameron stood near Sarah and saw John seated on his rocket bed cover. "I believe your mother is losing it or old age is setting in as you told me."

Sarah went wide eye and looked at Cameron then John, as she demanded, "What?"

John dropped his head and tapped on his keypad despite he was doing nothing. "I don't know what she's talking about, Mom." He peered back up and remained rather serious despite the hum to his eyes. "So, no luck huh?"

"It was an empty house," the terminator explained. Again, there was an accusing hint in her words.  
"My mistake," Sarah mildly snapped at the terminator. "I may have misread the address or somethin'."  
"Or perhaps you are getting old," Cameron pointed out.

"Watch it, girlie." Sarah slotted her eyes. However, she knew she'd get even today with the terminator and that pleased her, greatly. She then focused back on her son. "I'm going to shower then make pancakes."

John furrowed his eyebrows but then shook his head. "Mom, why don't you let Cameron take her shower first...?" He arched his eyebrow in warning and further suggested, "Then she can get a head start on her mission today."

Sarah slightly narrowed her eyes, yet she quickly picked out her son's hint. She instantly turned her head to Cameron. "He's got a point."

"We have a mission today?" Cameron knew nothing about this until now.

"Yes," John replied. "I'm getting it put together for you, but we'll go over it after breakfast." He pleadingly glanced at his mom. "I'm getting really hungry."

Mom held up her hands and stepped back once. "I'm going." She spun on her heels, smirked, and strolled down the hallway towards the steps.

"I will shower then," Cameron quietly decided. She disappeared to her room and stripped off her purple leather jacket, boots, and socks. She then selected clean clothes for today and grabbed her already used towel, which she put under her folded clothes.

John still had his bedroom door open. He idly listened to Cameron's movements in the bedroom, and he calculated it like clockwork too; Cameron was just too exact for her own good. He set aside his laptop, slithered out of bed, and ducked behind his partially opened door. He excitedly waited for the right moment as the terminator's footfall went down the hallway to the bathroom.

Cameron neared the bathroom door, which was ajar so she adjusted her armload into her left arm. She moved forward while pushing the door open with her right arm. However, an unexpected overhead sound made her stop short then suddenly a loud swoosh of cold water cascaded over her. For a few seconds, she remained still in now extremely damp jeans, top, and soaked hair. She blinked twice to get the water from her eyes and noticed her clean clothes were also drenched. With a tilt of her head, she discovered a dangling bucket swinging on a small rope.

John Connor did his very best not to break up laughing. He had his head hanging out the door and witnessed the most beautiful drenching ever performed in his family. He wanted a medal for it. Ever so slowly, he evilly smiled and gloat filled him. He then clamped down on his lower lip when Cameron turned her head to him.

The terminator was clearly annoyed and remained barefoot in the pool of water. Her mascara and eyeliner were bleeding down her cheeks.

John gave his protector a smile and curiously inquired, "What's today, Cameron?" He pretended to think about the date.

Cameron, who was a walking super-computer with exact data easily replied, "Today is November twenty-sixth."

John just bobbed his head a few times with a contemplative expression. He refocused on the soaked terminator and affectionately offered, "Happy Buildday, Cameron." He flashed her a wicked grin then disappeared into his bedroom with a few laughs.

Cameron had a befuddled look for a moment until all the pieces fit together in her processor. She glanced up at the bucket once she concluded it was one of many practical jokes that would be played on her because it had been two years since she was built on November 26, 2026. She recalled a late night conversation with John about how the Connor family played practical jokes on a Connor's birthday. So it would appear that she was a part of the Connor tradition now. Although she was soaked, including her clean clothes, she had a faint smile.

Shortly after the initial prank, John heard the shower running that signaled for him to go downstairs and help his mother. He closed his laptop's lid, grabbed it, and hurried down to the kitchen. He quickly caught his mother's arched eyebrow, but he first set his notebook down on the counter.  
Sarah returned her attention to the pancake batter. From the corner of her eye, she saw John come next to her.

"She was so damn soaked, Mom." John laughed and playfully slapped the empty counter space. "She had makeup running down her cheeks, her hair drenched, and clean clothes wet." He had a wild grin.  
Sarah slowly started grinning, shook her head, and glanced at him. She seriously asked, "How'd she take it though?"

"She went from surprised to annoyed and finished off at confused." He chuckled a few more times. "I think she'll be cool with it."

Sarah just nodded, but she was satisfied that their day's plans would go over well with the terminator. She let the last of her tension recede then she mentioned, "I'm going to start the pancakes."

"Don't forget the new bottle of syrup," John mentioned. He and his mother passed grins then he went to the fridge for orange juice. He eventually sat at the kitchen table and waited for his breakfast, which was served to him promptly.

Cameron soon arrived with damp hair, tight jeans, red camisole, and a black blouse over top. Her boots carried a definite footfall down the steps and to the kitchen. She seemed to consider whether to sit or not.

"You're eating too, girlie," Sarah sternly informed. She was next to the pan and started a last pancake for John. "Get somethin' to drink if you need it."

The terminator didn't contest it and went to the refrigerator for orange juice too.

"Hey, Cameron can you get the new bottle of syrup?" John indicated the one on the table was out.  
"Yes." The terminator retrieved both the new maple syrup and orange juice.

"Here," Sarah cut in. She held out her hand. "I'll open it and warm it up." She received the glass bottle that had a black cap on it.

Cameron went back to getting her drink. She idly listened to Sarah's quiet struggle with opening the new bottle of maple syrup.

"Goddamn this thing," Sarah seethed. She had been using a paper towel on the bottle's lid to twist it open. Her arm muscles bulged out from her futile attempt. She stepped away from the bottle and glared at it as the paper towel fell to the counter.

"Jesus, Mom." John hopped out of his chair and breezed past Cameron. He tried it too but growled at his loss. "The sugar must have sealed the cap real tight, I bet."

Cameron had sat down but curiously studied the two humans, who both had their hands on their hips and together stared at the new syrup as if it required nitroglycerin to remove the cap. She set down her small glass and offered, "I can open the bottle."

Sarah's head instantly snapped around, and she defensively replied, "We can manage." She caught Cameron's slight shift of demeanor and knowing her harsh words bothered the terminator. When the Hell did she learn to read the terminator's subtle emotions? Sarah then politely added, "Thanks though."

John had been a bit tense but relaxed at his mother's unspoken apology. He then looked at his mother and nodded at the waiting bottle.

"Alright," Sarah ordered, "you hold the bottom. I'll get the cap with both hands." She picked up the paper towel, put it on the cap, and waited until John held the bottle's body with both hands. She dug her feet in and started twisting again but the paper towel slid over the cap. "Shit!" Several swear words followed her first curse.

John just gave up and hotly urged, "Just let Cameron do it."

"We are perfectly capable of opening a bottle of goddamn syrup," Sarah snapped.

"Obviously." John scooped up the glass bottle by its base. "Stop being ridiculous, Mom."

"Fine!" Sarah tossed her hand in the air then the burning smell caught her nose. "Oh shit!" She raced over to the pan.

John shook his head repeatedly then went over to the terminator. "Here."

Cameron received the bottle and twisted the black cap off with absolutely no effort. She did not completely untwist it and returned it to John. She almost seemed to have a smug look.

But John grinned too and excitedly offered, "Thanks." He hurried over to the microwave but grabbed his mother's paper towel, which had a red tint on one side. He used the towel to unscrew the cap the rest of the way.

Sarah threw a few more profanities in the kitchen but opened the sink's window to ventilate the smoke out. She tossed the wasted pan into the sink and got a new one. She went back to making another pancake for John.

John sat back down after he warmed up the maple syrup bottle. He then received his freshly made pancake and promptly put butter all over it followed by the syrup.

Sarah checked the batter in the bowl, which now had a red liquid sitting on the top thanks to John. She grabbed the long spoon and easily stirred in the red extract then started making two medium size pancakes for Cameron.

"What is this mission we are doing today?" Cameron studied Sarah, who was cooking the pancakes.  
Sarah had her left hand on her hip but held the spatula in her right. "Sorry, girlie, I'm not going with."

Cameron furrowed her eyebrows then glanced at John, who had faltered with wide eyes.

John had a mouthful but swallowed it down. "I've got plans with Riley today." He shrugged, glanced at his mother, and explained to Cameron, "You're going on your own."

Sarah turned her back on the pair and scooped up the ready pancakes. She put them on a plate, grabbed a fork with napkin, and went over to Cameron. "Here ya go." She then retrieved her cup of coffee that was half-gone but plenty warm. She soon joined the pair at the table.

"What is the mission?" The terminator was clearly interested now that she discovered she indeed was going alone.

"Later," Sarah cut off. She crossed her legs under the table. "But you do need to refill that weapons drop too. Can you do that today?"

Cameron just nodded but finished prepping her pancakes. She was not quite sure why Sarah was so insistent to eat this morning. However, she tried eating on occasions to help keep her organic systems up to par.

John cleaned his plate and pushed it away some. He folded his arms on the table edge and curiously watched Cameron take her first bite.

Sarah only watched for a beat but her intense eyes flickered to her son. She curled both hands around her mug and sipped on its contents as Cameron ate her breakfast.

John ran his tongue along his teeth and tilted his head at how Cameron ate a lot slower than normal. He barely kept his voice even as he asked, "Not hungry, Cameron?"

The terminator set her fork down and drank a good swallow of her orange juice. She could not compute the intense burn in her mouth nor ebb it with her orange juice. She glanced down at the pancakes that she had barely touched so far. "It tastes... different."

Sarah instantly slammed her mug on the table and had all attention on her. "Do they taste bad, Tin Miss?"

Cameron observed the human's rising temper in those stormy green eyes. She had seen it one too many times. "It has a different flavor than normal."

"You don't like it," Sarah accusingly concluded.

The terminator looked at John for some help.

John held up his hands and argued, "Mine tasted great." He then glanced at his mother. "Thanks too, Mom."

Sarah nodded but slotted her eyes at Cameron. She lifted her mug again but muttered, "If you don't like it, Cameron then don't eat them."

Cameron tried settling her tense system because of the human's scowl. She inwardly sighed, picked up her fork, and made another attempt.

John suddenly got up with his plate and just in time as a smirk came over him. He put the dirty plate in the sink then went to the fridge.

Sarah eyed the terminator and carefully watched her eat the pancakes. She lowered her mug, quietly this time. "Still taste funny?"

Cameron had to drink more of her orange juice, yet it did nothing to extinguish the fire in her mouth. She looked at Sarah but her glossy eyes were apparent. "I fail to see how they're funny."

Sarah bit back a grin at Cameron's brimming eyes from the spicy pancakes. "Are they that bad they're going to make you cry, Tin Miss?"

The terminator did indeed detect her tear ducts were involuntarily reacting to the heat in her mouth.  
John arrived at Cameron's side and put down a glass of milk. "Drink this and it'll help." He smirked when Cameron peered up at him.

Sarah chuckled and grabbed the plate of hot sauce laced pancakes. "Let's see if I can cook better." She went back to the stove and made fresh pancakes without the hot sauce.  
Cameron swallowed down the entire glass of milk once she discovered it chased away the spice in her mouth.

John softly laughed then sat down. He smirked and mentioned, "I never thought of fighting terminators with hot sauce."

The terminator had to wipe her eyes and quietly quipped, "Perhaps it would overheat their chassis."  
Sarah chuckled from her spot and glanced over her shoulder.

Cameron could not comprehend how such a food could overwhelm her entire organic body. She'd never experienced spicy food until today. After she wiped her face, something on her right hand caught her attention so she turned her palm up.

John chewed on the inside of his mouth and studied the red stain in Cameron's palm. He then bit his lower lip so he would not laugh at how the red dye transferred from Cameron's hand to her face near her eye. He had not planned for that, but it was so great. He broke into laughter and dropped his head.  
Sarah turned at hearing the hysterical laughter. She saw the red smear around Cameron's right eye, and she started laughing too. She clung to the counter for support.

Cameron had inspected the red dye on her hand but could not understand how it was this funny. She started figuring out the syrup bottle's cap had the red stain on it. She questioningly looked between the humans.

John shook his head, gasped, and pointed at Cameron's face. "You got... the..." He inhaled deeply between a few laughs. "You got it on... your face too." He pushed out his chair some and curled up because his stomach hurt so badly.

The terminator was rather displeased once it made sense. She climbed to her feet and started out of the kitchen. "I will terminate you both if it doesn't wash off." However, her threat was hollow as she left to go up to the bathroom.

Sarah barely managed to yell, "Good luck!" She went back to the pancakes but still laughed some.

"That stain won't come out for at least a day," John commented in a bemused tone. He shook his head and chuckled one last time. "That was the best, Mom."

Sarah shook her head after she flipped the last pancake. "Poor Tin Miss," she muttered to herself. She sometimes felt bad for the victims, but she quickly got over it too once she remembered some of the jokes played on her as a kid. She briefly wondered what Cameron would do for jokes on a Connor. This made her grin until she heard heavier than average boot steps coming back down stairs. She chuckled once and waited to see how Cameron's attempt to remove the red stain went, or not.

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co-Author: Red Hope

Chapter 2  
John and Cameron were sitting at the dining table in the living room; a big map of Los Angeles was spread out in front of them as well as satellite images and other papers. He had done his homework and was somewhat proud that he had planned and timed everything to the last detail. Yet, they really hadn't had any other choice if they wanted their mission to be a success. Otherwise, Cameron would see right through the plan if there were any loopholes in it.

Though it was hard for John to contain his amusement and occasionally a short laugh broke free, which earned him a stern look from Cameron. As he had suspected the red stain on the terminator's face had not come off directly and would take at least one more day until it would disappear, much to Cameron's dislike.

"Your behavior is counterproductive," the terminator stated flatly. "You said you would inform me about today's mission after breakfast, which is now." Cameron sat bolt upright and with her forearms parallel to each other flatly on the table. But, a slight furrow creased her forehead, showing her annoyance with John's inability to focus on the subject.

"Yes, sorry, you're right," John said and tried putting on a straight face. He needed Cameron to buy the story. By now, she had probably figured out the connection between the current date and the jokes that they had already played on her. So, he had to be convincing and serious in order to get Cameron going on the mission at all.

Cameron said nothing in return and just gave John one of her blank stares, silently prompting him to continue and tell her, what she needed to know.

John shoved one specific map into the center of the table. "This is a position plan of the port; it shows how the storage containers are arranged." He pointed at one particular quadrant. "Storage facility number 83492. That's where you're going."

Nodding once for confirmation, Cameron scanned the map and filed the image into her database.  
John put another picture in front of the terminator. It was a photo of a middle aged man with a full head of gray hair, a mustache and glasses.

"His name is Gregory O'Hagan; he was a computer engineer at ChipTech Inc. The company specializes in electro-mechanical systems. A couple of weeks ago Gregory was fired for stealing, but we do not know what he stole precisely. It could be valuable data or electro-mechanical parts. However, two weeks ago he rented a storage container at the port."

Cameron also scanned the photo of the man in case she might encounter him. Then she brought up the map of the harbor and located Gregory O'Hagan's container. "It is possible that he hides whatever he has stolen from ChipTech in the container," she pointed out.

"Exactly," John acknowledged and bit down another smile. So far, Cameron was buying the fake background story he had come up with very well. "And we need to know what it is, just in case. He might continue his work secretly."

Sarah came into the living room, her hair still somewhat wet from the shower. "Better be safe than sorry," she mentioned, passing by behind Cameron and slightly touching her chair in the process. It was something she did more and more often. Sarah had noticed the odd habit, but could not or did not want to explain it. She sat down at the table as well and satisfactorily nodded at the work John had put into this.

"So, this is all I've got on him." John indicated with a motion of his hand at the papers on the table. The main details like the company and Gregory O'Hagan were real; he simply adjusted them a little so that they would fit to their story. John further added, "I've also hacked into the computer network of the port and filed your name on the list of persons with permitted access to this specific storage container area. It won't be a problem for you to get in."

Sarah bent over the table with her upper body, propping herself with her arms on it and biting down on her bottom lip. Her poker face was firmly in place. She had been on enough under cover missions to know how to play her cards, and she even had rehearsed this little scene in her head. "Just try to be inconspicuous and get it over with quickly, Tin Miss. You go in, scan the interior and see if there's anything with the potential of becoming Skynet or at least a part of its development. Don't leave any traces and don't take anything with you. If there is anything suspicious in it, we will go back there tonight and destroy it. Got it?"

After considering the human for a moment, Cameron concluded that the mission might indeed be real. Up to now, she had calculated a very high possibility that it would turn out to be another practical joke played on her, but Sarah's tense features and pose as well as the seriousness of her words made the terminator re-evaluate it.

"The parameters of the mission are definite," Cameron confirmed and contemplated touching Sarah's wrist briefly, which rested not too far from her own hand on the table. This way she could make a quick analyze of her vital signs and could asses if she was lying.

John saw the hesitant movement of Cameron's finger towards his mother's wrist and cleared his throat loudly. He knew exactly what the terminator was up to and as good as his mother's performance had been, her vital signs would probably give her away. "Alright, I guess that's it. Are you good to go?"  
When Sarah had heard John clearing his throat she had instantly noticed Cameron's attempt to touch her and knew the purpose behind it. She pulled her arms back and clasped her hands in her lap instead, shooting the girl a warning look.

It surprisingly bothered Cameron that Sarah had withdrawn her hands as if she was about to get burned when they would touch. However, sometimes she herself experienced a hot, tingling sensation of her skin when they touched accidentally or not, so maybe Sarah was having the same experiences.  
"If Gregory O'Hagan is there, can I kill him?" the terminator wanted to know as if she were asking for a glass of water, her eyes shifting expectantly from John to his mother.

Sarah gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles stood out white. "What? No!" A wave of rage flooded through her, but it ebbed as soon as she reminded herself that this was not a real mission and that there was no chance Gregory would be at the harbor. "No one gets killed. Are we clear?"  
"Yes," Cameron simply confirmed, returning Sarah's intensive stare without blinking.

John watched his mother and Cameron staring at each other challenging; the tension between them was obvious, and it unsettled him a little. "Okay, now that we've clarified that I'm off to meeting Riley."  
He stood up and went over to his mother, giving her a kiss on the head. "Play nice, mom," he whispered, even though the terminator could hear him anyways. John looked over at Cameron, who had her eyes still on Sarah. "Good luck."

When John had left house the terminator finally broke the eye contact with the human, focusing her view again on the papers on the table and making sure she had all the necessary information. "You can accompany me if you want to," she offered.

Sarah tried not to feel flattered by the suggestion as if the terminator actually cared whether she would go with her or not. "No, girlie, this is your mission. You're going alone. I have… stuff to take care of." Her spirits lifted again when she pictured Cameron finding out the true nature of the mission, everything was playing out very nicely.

"I will be back soon," Cameron promised and got up. When she had reached the door, she turned around and regarded the human, who had turned in the chair towards Cameron.

"Be careful. You never know what you might find," Sarah pointed out and grinned inwardly. This day would definitely become one of her favorites to remember.

The port of Los Angeles was located at San Pedro Bay. It was a complex that occupied 7,500 acres of land and water along forty-three miles and featured twenty-seven cargo terminals. It was the busiest container port in the United States and almost like a city of its own.

When Cameron parked the Jeep right outside the West Basin Container Terminal, the area where Gregory O'Hagan's storage container was located, she retrieved the data about the port. There were indeed many humans walking around, two of the guards were stationed at the entrance, one in a box office and one at the gate.

The terminator didn't worry about them or the Los Angeles Port Police. John had gotten her name on the permitted visitors list, so there was no need for her to find another way in.

Later she or John would hack again into the computer network of the port, delete her name as well as the video footage of the surveillance cameras. This was her contribution to the plot. The whole operation was well planned, she liked thought-out plans, and she smiled faintly at that.

When Cameron approached the visitor's entry, she initiated her infiltration program and let the smile spread fully on her lips. She did not like it when the infiltration program was activated though, it always evoked an odd sensation in her chest, it just wasn't her when she pretended to be a careless, fun-loving teenage girl.

Therefore, Cameron wished that Sarah had come with her. Then she could let the other woman run the show while she could have stood silent beside her. It would not matter if they thought she was a weird girl or not.

"Hello there!" a young guard greeted her as soon as she had reached the little box he occupied. There was only enough room for a small office table, with a telephone, on old computer on it, and a chair. He lifted his cap in greeting, which had the logo of the port stitched on the front. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm Cameron Baum. I need to get something out of my uncle's storage container," the terminator easily lied, having used the drive to the port to come up with a convincing background story for herself. "Storage container is number 83492. My name should be on the list."

The guard returned the smile to the beautiful girl on the other side of the glass window. "Give me a minute and let me check," he said and started to type on the keyboard. It only took a moment. "I need to see your ID card please."

Cameron fished out her driver's license from the back pocket of her jeans and handed it over to him without any comment.

The guard, Matthew, looked at her picture, typed again something into the computer and gave her the card back, though he held a little bit longer than necessary. "I could bring you to the container. The place is damn big; I don't want a pretty girl like you to get lost." He smiled at her, charmingly.

"No thank you," Cameron replied and tucked her license back into the pocket. "I'll be fine."  
"You're sure?" the guard pressed.

Cameron became slightly annoyed. "Positive," she confirmed and turned away from the box, taking the first steps to the gate, when she heard the guard getting out of his small office.

"It's actually policy. I can't let you wander around by yourself," he lied as soon as he had caught up with her, giving the girl a wink.

Cameron merely regarded him but continued her way into the depths of the facility.

Five minutes later, they were only a couple of containers away from their destination.

At first, Matthew had tried to make small-talk with Cameron, asking her questions and obviously thinking he was charming. However, Cameron only gave him single word answers, if she answered at all.

He started telling her things about himself even though Cameron had not asked him to. Still he rambled currently about being a part-time guard to pay for his studies and that he was studying at UCLA and so on and so on.

The question, Cameron had to ask herself, was why her infiltration program was not working? There must have been something wrong with it because otherwise she would have been politer to the young guy, maybe even flirted with him. But she showed no interest at all in him as if he weren't even there and had kept hoping that Sarah was there with her instead of Matthew. The raven-haired woman would have gotten rid of him; she would've made sure that he hadn't accompanied them in the first place. This thought briefly made Cameron consider why Sarah Connor would be so prone to chasing off a young man, when he was no threat. He was obnoxious and unfortunately, Cameron had affirmed to Sarah that no one got killed.

"Here we are," Matthew stated and pointed towards one orange storage container in a line of many. He, like Cameron, read the numbers that denoted it as the correct one.

"Thank you. It was very nice of you to bring me here," Cameron forced herself to reply friendly. "I can take it from here."

Matthew was a bit disappointed that the pretty girl wanted to continue without him. "Oh… okay." He took of his cap and fanned himself with it. "Then I'll just wait here for you and bring you back to the parking area when you're done."

Cameron suppressed the urge to sigh, nodded in agreement instead and went to storage container 83492. A lock held an iron chain around the rods. It would be easy for her to crush the lock to dust, but then Gregory would know that someone had broken into his container. Besides the fact that Matthew would most likely see it.

They had not thought of this hurdle, at all.

The terminator turned towards Matthew and gave him her best innocent, helpless girl expression she had filed in her system. "I've forgotten the key, stupid me," she laughed falsely. "You don't have by any chance a universal key, do you?"

"Nope, sorry. There's no such thing," Matthew said, scratching the back of his head before he placed the cap back on it. "So, we came here for nothing. This was a total waste of time." He mumbled the last part more to himself.

Of course, Cameron heard him anyways and turned towards the container again, her right hand twitching first and then clenching into a fist. She would not go home empty handed, and she surely would not want to tell Sarah that her mission had been a failure.

Therefore, the terminator took the lock and held it in her open palm, blocking the view with her body so that Matthew would not catch what she was doing. "Found the key!" she exclaimed, pretending that she retrieved a key from the front pocket of her jeans.

Calculating the exact amount of force she could use to crack the lock without actually breaking it too obviously, Cameron closed her hand around it and slowly applied pressure until it clicked open with a squeak. She could close the lock when she was finished without leaving any traces. "Got it!" A tiny victorious smile appeared on the terminator's lips.

Cameron removed the chain from the iron rubs and started pulling at them. Before she had pulled them apart enough to slip into the container, she registered a noise from inside. It was only a small click and when she cross-referenced it with noises stored in her database and was unable to find a match. She opened the huge, metal doors a bit further and slipped into the darkness of the container.  
After another click, a shot was fired directly at her.

But there was no impact, no bullet that ripped through her shirt and into her skin. Cameron blinked in confusion until she switched to her night vision. She focused on what had been the source of the bang.  
The container was filled with helium balloons of all colors and a small canon on the other end of it. She concluded it been the cause of the bang, but instead of a bullet or a cannonball it had fired a huge load of confetti at her.

"Cameron!" Matthew yelled from outside. "Are you okay? I heard a bang like a gun shot." He came running around the slightly ajar doors. He stopped abruptly when he saw the state of the container as well as of Cameron, who was covered in confetti from head to toe. "What the Hell?!"

"It is merely a surprise," the terminator explained, telling the truth, because what else was she supposed to tell him? "Today is my birthday. In my family, we play practical jokes on each other on their birthdays. It's a tradition." She reached up and plucked a few pieces of colorful confetti from her hair.

Matthew developed a wry grin and lightly teased, "Well, happy birthday then."

Cameron softly sighed. "Thank you." She now brushed out the confetti from her hair then off her front side.

The guard briefly watched her, and he had a slyer grin at watching the beauty. He approached her and swept his hand over her chest. "You missed one."

The terminator wearily eyed the young human and barely resisted from reacting in such a way that she would harm him, permanently.

"So how old are you?" the guard prompted after he stepped back.

Cameron turned on her boot heels and studied the inside of the container. She switched back to night vision in took in the contents much better. She noted one balloon read "Happy 2nd Birthday!" on it. For the first time ever, she rolled her eyes but twisted her head back to Matthew. "I just turned seventeen."

The guard went slightly rosy around the cheeks once he realized the girl was jailbait. He cleared his throat and mentioned, "You got a pretty cool family if they went to all this trouble."

The terminator slightly canted her head but considered his, for once, useful opinion. "Yes... they are tight." She now exited the container's entrance and started closing it.

"You're not gonna take any of it home?"

Cameron had the squeaky doors sealed shut. "No, it is too much trouble." Nor was she a sentimental human, just a logical terminator.

Matthew shrugged it off and now took the girl's side on the walk back to the gates. "Your family always does that huh?"

"It is tradition," Cameron firmed again. She hated to repeat herself.

"I wish my fam did somethin' that cool." Matthew considered his prior birthdays, which struck up another long, boring monolog from him.

Cameron did her very best to tone him out because his annoying voice was wreaking havoc on her systems. The five-minute walk back to the gates was far more grueling than the plundered streets in the future Los Angeles. Once she saw the gates, her pace went faster than normal.

The guard tapered off from his last story about an older birthday as they came near the gates. He followed Cameron through the pedestrian opening and stopped by his gatehouse. He slipped his hands into his pockets. "So, can I call you some time?" He thought it was worth a shot.

The terminator had miscalculated on getting away free. She studied the Jeep parked only a few yards away, but she quickly turned with a fake smile plastered on her face. She offered a giggle then shyly explained, "I can give you my house number. I don't have a cell phone."

Matthew was dumbfounded by such news. "No cell phone?"

Cameron shrugged and slipped her hands into her pockets. "My mom is super protective. She answers the house phone first too. I'm not allowed to. She's also super religious."

"Oh." The guard took a step back, closer to his guardhouse. "Well, maybe that's alright." He flashed a smile.

Cameron pretended to be disappointed like any teen. "Are you sure? Like she'll only ask you twenty-one questions or somethin'... blood sample too." She threw in a silly laugh for good measure. Now she was finally having fun with him.

"No, that's alright." The guard stood in the doorframe, but he waved and wished, "Happy birthday again." He disappeared into his guardhouse.

Cameron shrugged, spun on her heels, and headed to the Jeep. On the way, she pulled out her cell phone in the guard's clear view. She instantly called John first but received no answer, which did not worry her because he was probably busy with Riley. She then attempted Sarah's number once she was inside the SUV.

"How'd it go?" Sarah prompted. There was a silent hint of amusement in her tone.

"Funny," the terminator flatly replied in her monotone. She revived the engine then reversed from the parking spot.

"It's a mission, not a party," Sarah argued, mirth bright in her eyes.

Cameron was driving past the guardhouse, and she could not help but wave her cell phone quickly at Matthew before she disappeared from sight. She held down her chuckle at his wide-eye expression. She focused on her driving and phone conversation.

"Did you find anything related to Skynet in there?"

The terminator involuntarily rolled her eyes, again. "Not unless my buildday is related to Skynet."  
"It's possible," Sarah taunted.

Cameron could hear the grin in Sarah's voice. "I'm leaving the port now."

"Don't forget to stop at the weapons drop too," Sarah reminded.

"I do not forget," Cameron stated. She pulled out onto the port's main street so she could head to home.

"Just do it," Sarah ordered. But her tone wasn't harsh. "And get back home."

"I will," the terminator promised.

"See you then." Cameron was about the hang up but Sarah's voice halted her. "And, Cameron?"

The terminator had almost closed her cell phone. "Yes?"

"Happy buildday," Sarah gently offered. She then hung up.

Cameron closed her cell phone and a thin smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She never expected anybody to recall the day she was built much less celebrate it, especially by the humans that fought the hardest against Skynet. She was supposed to be their enemy, not matter what, but instead the Connors were welcoming her into their family. She knew they had gone to a lot of trouble to rent and setup the container for the surprise then make up a pretend mission that Cameron would fully believe. Now her smile grew wider.

About thirty minutes later, Cameron made it to the weapons drop that was located fifteen minutes from the house. She collected the weapons and supplies from the Jeep then headed to the metal door. She hesitated at the locked door, her key in the lock, and she debated whether there would be another surprise on the other side of the door. She mentally braced her systems then pushed open the door. However, to her amazement there was nothing but silence and stillness.

The terminator cautiously entered and scanned her surroundings. Once she was satisfied nothing was out of place, she flicked on the overhead light and turned off her night vision. She brought in the black duffel bag and filled gas can into the secret cache. She tucked away the gasoline can then started putting away the supplies from the bag. Cameron pulled up short when she was about to set down a handful of bullet magazines. She was drawn to the small, square box sitting on a shelf at eye level.  
The perfect gift was in a sapphire blue wrapping and bore a white ribbon. There was a tag attached to it that had Cameron's name on the top. Once Cameron turned over the tag, she made out Sarah's distinct handwriting. It merely said, 'Bring me home to open up.' Cameron carefully held the gift in her hands and turned it over. Her interests were clearly peeked by the tiny, blue box that was carefully wrapped, most likely by Sarah.

The terminator hastened finishing up then left the weapons drop. She jumped back in the Jeep after the rid of the duffel bag. However, she carefully set her gift down in the passenger seat. She studied it for a second but drove off to get home. She realized that she was filled with some excitement after her unexpected but fun day. She never understood the point behind practical jokes, yet she thought they were not so bad. She now calculated how much time Sarah and John spent on preparing them all just because it was her buildday. Regardless of the total time, it was a minute more than Cameron had ever expected from the humans.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Co-Author: Red Hope

Chapter 3  
Cameron pulled into the usual parking spot for the Jeep at the house. She shut off the vehicle then collected her blue gift and retrieved the empty duffel bag after she climbed out of the car. She marched right up the brick steps and into the house's front door. She paused and performed an audible scan. She detected somebody was upstairs, and they were coming downstairs down. Cameron knew it was Sarah by the footfall.

Sarah Connor made it to the landing between the steps, and she paused once Cameron came into her view. She held onto the banister then her eyes lowered to the blue gift.  
Cameron studied Sarah briefly but also looked at the present in her right hand. She curiously gazed back up at the older woman.

Sarah detected the terminator's slight confusion about receiving a gift. But Sarah deflected it by softly suggesting, "Why don't you put it on the dining room table for now." She came down two steps and held out her right hand. "I'll take the bag." She received it and went back upstairs.

The terminator listened to Sarah but slowly went to the dining room table. She still eyed the gift in her hand until she set it on the table. Her curiosity was growing by each nanosecond. She then heard Sarah coming near her so she turned her head to the right.

"John should be home shortly," Sarah mentioned. She looked from the gift to Cameron. She hoped the terminator was not detecting her accelerated heartbeat ever since she saw the present in Cameron's hands. She prayed she was making the right choice after many nights of tossing and turning, but she knew it was more the fact she was not sure how Cameron would take it. Alternatively, what it could mean to Sarah once it was given to Cameron, what it could change for them.

Cameron noticed Sarah's searching look and expression, though she was unable to say what the other woman might be looking for. Cameron contemplated about bringing up the subject of her buildday or more specifically of Sarah and John celebrating it. And even in the traditional Connor way. It intrigued the terminator just as much as the content of the gift. "I will take care of the computer network of the port. My name and the video footage of the surveillance cameras need to be deleted," she said instead of pursuing the issue of her buildday right now. There would be time for it later.

"Yeah, we shouldn't leave any electronic traces," Sarah agreed and nodded. Again, her eyes wandered back to the present on the table. A fresh wave of nervousness washed over her as she thought of the evening ahead of her. Sarah could feel her heart beating extremely fast against her ribs and her palms were sweaty. She needed some physical distance from the girl. "I'll prepare dinner in the meantime. Is there…?"

Sarah bit her bottom lip as heat rushed into her cheeks. She had barely stopped herself from asking Cameron what she wanted for dinner. They both had come a long way since they had first met, but there were still some lines left uncrossed. The terminator rarely ate and did not have any favorite meals. It would be a big leap for Sarah to ask if she had a special wish for dinner. A ridiculous, unnecessary leap.

"Yes?" Ever so slightly, Cameron inclined her head to the left and studied the human, wishing that once again she could touch Sarah to read her vital signs. In a small frame on the right side of her visual field, she replayed the incident from this morning. She had reached for the other woman, but Sarah had pulled her hand away and glared at her warningly.

"Never mind." Sarah waved the issue away, turned around and started heading towards the kitchen.  
"The mission… ", Cameron began to get Sarah's attention once more, to prevent her from leaving. It worked; the human stopped and looked over her shoulder back at her. "It was an irrational waste of time for all parties involved," she stated, her tone uninflected. It was also irrational that Cameron's living tissue reacted with a warm, stretching sensation in her chest when she calculated how much time John and Sarah had invested in preparing for today. She decided that it secretly pleased her, but kept her expression blank.

Sarah could not hinder the small, affectionate smile spreading across her lips. "No, it wasn't," was all she revealed and disappeared into the kitchen, before something stupidly sentimental would come out of her mouth and she definitely wasn't that kind of a woman.

Sarah busied herself in the kitchen, which came with an unfamiliar feeling of excitement and anticipation. Not that she would ever admit this to anyone aloud, but she actually enjoyed taking care of the preparations for the last part of Cameron's buildday. Moreover, she certainly had not thought that she could be completely absorbed in a task that was not related to saving the future.

There were several cooking and baking books, which the previous occupants of the house had luckily left behind, scattered and every surface was occupied with kitchen utensils and ingredients. It looked like a war zone, devastation dominated the scene and Sarah Connor was its detonation center.

John came into the kitchen through the back door, kicking the door shut with his foot and immediately came to a short stop when he saw the state of the kitchen and his mother. He looked around the room wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape. "Okay, whoa! What the hell?" He was balancing a large, pink box on his hands, but there was no free space for him to put it down. Shaking his head in wonder, John asked, "What did you did you do with my mother and who the hell are you?"

"What? It's not like I never cooked before," Sarah said with a shrug, dismissing the whole situation as nothing out of the ordinary. She wiped her hands on a red-white plaid towel and threw it over her right shoulder, before she quickly set some used bowls and plates into the sink, pushed flour and sugar boxes aside to make enough room for John to put the large box down.

As soon as John had his hands free, he used the opportunity to peak into the pots on the stove and also glanced into the oven. "Yeah well, but it never actually smelled or even looked good. Usually everything looks kinda cremated." He raised his hands in surrender, pulled his mother in a one-arm hug and kissed her on the forehead. "No offence, I love you."

When John's arm dropped from her shoulders, Sarah slapped him playfully with the kitchen towel. "Watch it, young man. Otherwise you'll have to go to bed on an empty stomach," she warned him, but could not suppress to laugh.

"There's always the possibility of ordering in," he reminded Sarah. "Besides the future leader of mankind needs his strength." John smirked at her, but even as his remark was meant to be just harmless banter, he watched the features of his mother becoming sober. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…" he began to apologize.

Sarah patted his shoulder and squeezed it shortly. "It's okay. No gloomy thoughts today."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between them, which John broke as he opened the fridge, rummaging somewhat through it and stored the box in it for cooling. With his hands still in the fridge and his back towards Sarah he asked, "How did Cameron's solo mission go? Did she say anything?"

"I would say it was a complete success on our side. Whereas she thinks that it was a complete waste of time for all of us." Sarah's gaze dropped to the floor and hid behind her untamed locks, when the image of Cameron flashed behind her eyes. Again, she felt a sentimental smile creeping on the lips. Fuck. She was not old enough for suffering from hormonal unbalance due to menopause, was she?

John closed the door of the fridge and turned back towards his mother. "I don't think Cameron really sees it like that, she just wants us to believe she does." As Sarah lifted her gaze and looked at him sceptically he added, "It's…. complicated to describe." He left the part out where he feared that Sarah might not be that ready to hear the explanation.

"Try me," Sarah challenged him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"O-okay." He played a little for time by opening one of the top drawers, taking a glass and filling it with water directly from the tap. "She knows that she's supposed to be all rational and zero and ones and no…," John immediately interjected his mother as soon as he sensed her protest. "Before you can even ask, it's not a malfunction or something like that. It's something else." He took a sip water and then continued, "Cameron feels, she has sensations… I don't know to what extend or how it works, but she does. I have watched her behavior, she's changed, she's different. You must've noticed it too." He waited for Sarah to respond to his assumption, but she gave no sign whether she'd picked it up or not. "Therefore, my take is that up to now she prefers to let us believe that she's not much more than a highly developed calculator."

"Why?" A shiver ran down Sarah's spine and something absurd like... Was that truly hope prickled in the pit of her stomach?

"What do you think?" John asked back, not giving his mother an answer and leaving her alone in the kitchen to ponder over everything he had just told her.

"Do you require any assistance?" drifted Cameron's voice sometime later over to Sarah, who jumped slightly. "John told me you are cooking and baking."

Sarah had her back to the terminator, washing the dishes and bowls, which she had used to prepare dinner and to mix the duff for the cake."Why is everyone acting as if that's a fucking miracle?!"

Briefly, Sarah glanced over her shoulder at Cameron. If her harsh tone had hit the terminator, she did not show it. With a deep sigh, she turned back to the sink and dipped another bowl into the foamy water.

"It is an uncommon demeanor for you. You rarely spend more time than absolutely necessary if any at all with preparing meals." Cameron approached the human, but stopped when she was standing three feet behind Sarah.

"That's because I usually have bigger concerns than playing housewife." Sarah huffed and scrubbed the inside of a glass bowl so hard and fast that water splashed. She did not wanted to be angry with the terminator, especially not today. She was not even sure if this was the correct label for what she was feeling. Whatever it was, it influenced her mood and, at the moment, not for the better.  
Even for Cameron it was not hard to tell that something had changed Sarah's mood since earlier. She did not comment on it though and stepped right beside the human. She sensed how Sarah stiffened. Without asking again, Cameron simply took a fresh kitchen towel out of one of the bottom drawer and began to dry the dishes.

"You don't have to do this. It's your buildday," Sarah offered, her tone much more gentle as she had hoped it would come out.

Cameron just continued to dry the dishes. "But I want to." And it was settled, finally.

They worked together in a silence, which quickly became companionable. Sarah concentrated on washing the dishes and handed them to Cameron. Each time her fingers brushed against Cameron's slender ones, she became calmer than earlier and softly smiled.

"I didn't mean to snap at you," Sarah apologized. She turned halfway and made eye contact.

Cameron turned as well and relaxed her otherwise stoic features. "You are under a lot of emotional stress and pressure. It is a plausible reaction." It was not her usual monotone. Cameron allowed a hint of compassion to shine through. "I understand."

Again, Cameron noted the searching of Sarah's eyes. She did not know what to make of it. Instead, Cameron decided to follow the simple, but not weak impulse, the moment caused in her system. She put the kitchen towel down, her eyes never leaving Sarah's in the process, and slowly raised her right hand to Sarah's face.

Sarah froze when she saw the movement of Cameron's hand, though she did not flinch. She held her breath. Her heartbeat easily picked up twice as much as speed; she could hear its wild drumming in her ears. Fleetingly, Sarah wondered why and when exactly her body and her instincts had turned into traitors. Should she not be running, should she not be fighting, and should she not prevent what was obliviously about to happen?

Those thoughts vanished as soon as they had crossed her mind, which went completely blank the second Cameron's hand landed on her cheek delicately. The touch was so tentative that it barely deserved the description.

"Cameron?" Sarah asked hushed, when nothing further happened.

As soon as her name had left Sarah's lips, Cameron covered the mistake of letting her fingers linger on the human's face and ran her thumb over Sarah's cheekbone. "Flour," she explained and showed her white powder covered digit.

It took Sarah another second before she actually realized what had just transpired between them. She quickly turned away again from Cameron, pushed her hands back into the water and began to scrub another plate. With her head downcasted and her cheeks burning hotly, she mumbled, "You could've just told me."

"You are correct," Cameron granted. "I apologize." She took the last, clean dish from Sarah. She put it away, like the previous ones, and decided to leave the kitchen. "I must complete my homework for school tomorrow."

Sarah peered over her shoulder. Normally, she would holler a response because Cameron was so far away. However, she knew Cameron's keen hearing so she replied, "I'll call you and John down when the dinner is ready."

Cameron paused at the base of the steps. She clutched the rail, almost tight enough to damage it. She stared down at her hand then seemingly forced her hand to release the wood. Step by step, Cameron went upstairs and made up her mind to get the schoolwork done before dinner.

Briefly, there were movements on the second floor but it quieted down, and Sarah focused on her task to get dinner done. She was under stress to not only make it, but get it right too. There were too many burned meals notched under Sarah's cooking belt. Just for once, Sarah wanted to get it perfect. A timer's alarm caught her attention, and she hurried over to the oven. Opening the door, she studied the cake and grinned happily.

"Not bad for a gun slinging mother," Sarah muttered. She pulled out the cake and let it cool, like the recipe told her. In the meantime, she prepared the ingredients for dinner.

The afternoon wore on into the early evening, and the Connor home was filled with wonderful smells that even enticed the terminator. A quarter after seven, Sarah called down her son and Cameron to the dining room. She told John to get drinks for all of them while Cameron sat, stiffly. John also helped his mom deliver the food to the table.

Cameron canted her head after John placed the plate in front of her. She coolly stated, "Crangon crangon."

John was seated and oddly stared at his protector. "Shrimp," he corrected. He suspected Cameron stated the shrimp's scientific name.

"Yes, brown shrimp," Cameron concluded.

Sarah sighed. "It's shrimp scampi."

Cameron tilted her head the other way. "I have not experienced shrimp before."

"Well, you're about to experience it," John teased. He waited until his mother picked up her fork.  
Sarah started and enjoyed the first mouthful of shrimp and rice. She tasted the garlic, butter, shrimp, and white rice all at once. John's pleased hum was an excellent sign.

"Wow, Mom." John shook his fork a few times at his plate. "This is awesome."

Sarah smiled, proudly. "Thanks." However, she looked over at Cameron, pensively.

Cameron was still on her first taste of it. She was rolling it over her tongue, chewing slowly, and analyzing every bit of data. After a swallow, she met Sarah's curious stare. "It is excellent." She enjoyed the flavor, especially the shrimp.

"What you think of shrimp?"

Cameron looked at John and answered, "Despite it's a shrimp, it is a big flavor."

John choked on his food and stared at Cameron. Did his protector just crack a joke?  
Sarah snorted and grinned at the terminator.

John drank his water then hoarsely stated, "Touché."

The terminator said nothing else and instead focused on the dinner. She ate rather slowly and savored the special dinner. She was starting to understand why humans ate, and not just to sustain life. If Sarah Connor cooked this well every meal then Cameron would eat more frequently, for pure pleasure.  
After dinner, Sarah cleared the table and put the candles on the cake. As she did so, she smiled at the fact that Cameron ate everything. It was a risky meal to make because not everybody liked seafood. But Sarah's gamble had paid off.

"Hey, Mom I got the presents on the table," John announced. He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room.

"Alright." Sarah left the cake and returned to the dining table. She sat down between Cameron and John. On the table was her small, blue gift and then John's gift. Sarah had no idea what John had gotten for Cameron, and she was curious.

"Start with mine." John pushed his to Cameron.

The terminator took it but narrowed her eyes at him. "Should I first shoot it with my Glock?"  
John laughed and shook his head once. "It might explode if you do that."

Cameron hoped it was not another practical joke. She noted it was small and rectangular. When she lifted it, she analyzed it was only an ounce in weight. It was safe, most likely. Quickly removing the paper, Cameron turned it over and pulled up the top of an envelope. After she pulled out the slip of paper, she read it for a minute.

"I thought you might like to learn how to... really fight." John smirked at his protector. "Not just throw you opponent into walls."

"What is it?" Sarah was trying to read the gift card.

"It's six lessons of jujitsu over at Sai's." John propped his arm on the table and leaned his head in his hand.

"Really?" Sarah took the gift card after Cameron was done. She thought it was a great idea, considering how terminators fought, including Cameron. She returned it and teased, "Think you're flexible enough for it, girlie?"

John looked at his mother and offered, "You outta see her dance moves. She's more flexible than both of us put together."

Sarah blinked and looked at her son. "What?" She was unaware of Cameron's ability to dance. She was about to ask more until John cut her off.

"Open Mom's next." John handed the small box to Cameron. He was relieved that it distracted his mother from the earlier conversation.

This time, Cameron carefully unwrapped the gift. She noted how Sarah grew anxious, and it made her wonder what the box held in it. She pulled off the lid and stared at the round, metal coin shining up at her.

Sarah licked her lips and twisted her fingers together on her lap. She steeled her worries and explained, "It's a Connor Coin."

The terminator retrieved the coin from the box and held it in her palm. She turned it over several times and memorized every part of it. "What does it mean?" She looked at the two Connors and ran her thumb over the two "C"s located on the side facing her.

John thought his protector meant the "CC" stamped on the front face. He shrugged and tempted, "It could mean Connor Clan... Connor Club... Connor Coin." He glanced at his quiet mother then back to the terminator. "Or maybe Cameron Connor."

Cameron sharply looked up after John's last explanation.

Finally, Sarah found her voice, which was slightly shaky. "They've been in our family for years." She reached into her pocket and produced one.

Like his mother, John pulled out his and set it on the table next to his mother's coin.  
Cameron followed suit and placed her coin triangular to the other two.

Sarah was about to speak again, but she faltered after she looked at the three coins. For an instant, the elusive three-dots that she had been chasing for months hit her in the form of the three coins. Her quicken heart rate made her body feel weak until she pushed aside her thoughts, and fears. She scooped up Cameron's coin, which ended the vision of the three-dots.

"We carry these with us at all times," Sarah told Cameron. "And we put them under our heads at night."

She then displayed hers more closely to the terminator. "Mine has saved my leg once."

Cameron now noticed the dent in it made by a bullet.

"Only a Connor carries this." Sarah handed Cameron's coin back to her. "Welcome to the club."  
Cameron felt the coin warm in her hand. She was amazed that Sarah had given it to her and made her a Connor. She stared at it, not sure it was real.

Sarah stood up and returned the coin to its home. "I'll get the cake." She signaled John to grab the dessert plates.

John stood too, but he smiled at Cameron's awed features, which were the first. "Nice job winning Mom over." He hurried off to get the plates.

The terminator turned the coin through her fingers and studied the "CC" stamped on both sides. She heard the pair coming from the kitchen so she put the coin into her right jean pocket. From over her shoulder, she saw Sarah coming with a lit cake.

John followed and started singing the birthday song.

Sarah sang along too and brought the chocolate cake to Cameron. She set it down gently, took a step back, and ordered, "Make a wish."

"Make a wish?" Cameron echoed.

John set the plates down and suggested, "Blow the candles out and make a wish."

Cameron looked at the burning candles. "Oh... make a wish." She now understood the tradition. She gathered plenty of air behind her lips then blew at the two candles.

They went out instantly. Then they relit in surprise.

The terminator was befuddled so she blew them out again. She glared after they relit a second time. "I need my Glock." She started to get up until a firm hand was on her shoulder.

"It's trick candles, girlie," Sarah explained. She squeezed the terminator's shoulder.

"Thank you for explaining." Cameron instead extinguished the flames by pinching them between her fingers. "That is joke number five."

"Not keeping tally huh?" Sarah pulled the cake to the side and brought out a knife. She cut it up while John sat down and spread out the plates and forks. She put a slice on each plate. "There's just one more thing we have to do to officially make you a Connor."

Cameron tilted her head back so she could see Sarah, who stood over her.

"Are you ready?" Sarah asked, her tone stern and face serious.

"Yes," Cameron firmed.

Sarah was pleased, and she was also quick. She snatched up a slice of cake and swiftly planted it in Cameron's face. For extra amusement, Sarah wiped it over those beautiful, girlie features until she was assured every inch was covered in cake an icing.

John's hysterical laughter erupted in the dining room. He covered his stomach and slouched in the chair, his head back. He had never witnessed anything better. John gained a measure of control and looked at Cameron. He died in a fit of laughter again after he saw the honey brown eyes peeking through the dark cake.

Sarah was so proud of herself. She cleaned her hand with a napkin and dubbed, "You are now Cameron Connor." However, her smirk instantly fell away when angry brown eyes slotted at her.  
"Sarah," Cameron growled, for the very first time.

Sarah's right boot scraped across the rug as she took a step away. "Shit," she hissed and bolted just as Cameron launched for her. "Cameron!" she screamed in fear.

The terminator chased after the fleeing human, birthday cake falling away from her face. She was faster than Sarah and caught up when they entered the living room. Cameron grabbed Sarah just as they came to the back of the sofa. She pulled Sarah backwards.

Sarah gave a holler of surprise and lost her footing, going over the sofa. Somehow, Cameron went with her, and they rolled over the sofa top. Sarah grunted when she landed on top of Cameron, who hit the sofa on her back. During the topple, Sarah managed to get a little cake on her chin and neck.  
Cameron was relieved when Sarah wiped more of the cake off her face. She held Sarah by her hips and processed the fact that she and Sarah had been horseplaying, like kids. She then stated, "That was the sixth joke."

A smug expression came over Sarah. "You count well." She enjoyed the terminator's messy features and was enticed by the icing on Cameron's full lips. She remembered earlier in the kitchen when they had been this close. However, they were even closer, completely together. Sarah leaned in and this time did what she wanted earlier. She had her cake and kissed it too.

Cameron was unsure at first. She did not respond to the initial kiss until a gentle bite on her bottom lip jarred her systems. She moved her lips with Sarah's until their mouths opened together. Their first kiss was sweet, exceptionally sweet and chocolaty. Then a moan from Sarah stirred a warm sensation deep in Cameron.

Sarah slowly pulled away and licked the last tidbit of chocolate off. She saw the uncertainty in Cameron's eyes. She grinned, playfully and gently teased, "And that wasn't a joke." She followed her words with a brief yet tender kiss.

Cameron was still in awe for another moment. She looked painfully human in that moment. However, it wore off, and she became steely again except for the soft hue in her eyes.

Sarah ignored the cake on Cameron and cupped a coated cheek. "Happy Birthday, Cameron."

Behind the sofa, John stood there and watched the exchange between his mother and protector. He smiled, contently. His birthday plans had worked out so perfect. John was sure that Cameron liked his second birthday gift, his plan for his mother to accept and love her. John mentally patted himself on the back for being an amazing matchmaker.

"And to many more happy builddays," John whispered to the terminator, "Many more."

The End


End file.
